From Inside the Press, a New Voice

ecause no one is unbiased these days, please allow me to introduce myself. My actual name is Maureen, but the registration system informed me I’m not the only person with that name. (My shocked expression is a little rusty with disuse.) So, my simple, modest plan foiled, I went straight for an amalgam of my present status as a Master of Arts and my former, online persona.

In addition to being one of the many overeducated escapees of academia (who may soon return and holds few grudges), I have and continue to work with the University of Nebraska Press. While freelance editing and proofreading pay the bills, I extended my internship with UNP because I believe they are one of the rare presses that have not sacrificed souls and lives to the bottom line.

Thus, until the end of my stay in Nebraska, I write as an almost former insider. In that vein, I know well how the editors here have sought to devote the imprint of Bison Books to out-of-print titles that don’t deserve to be abandoned. Our editor is no stranger to the world of science fiction, conventions and all. Since, we all have our individual perspectives on what should or shouldn’t be forgotten and with the division of science fiction into so many genres, I would hardly be surprised if you looked at our list and were surprised at some of the inclusions or omissions.

There is something you can do about that though, and I’m all ears. If you have a favorite science fiction classic or other title that has vanished from the market, drop me a line, and I’ll recommend it to the appropriate editor. If the inner workings of reprints allow it, you might be seeing that title in seasons to come in a classy, paperback edition. Many of the authors on the backlist of the Bison Frontiers of the Imagination and the Beyond Armageddon series would not have come to my attention if it weren’t for these reprints, and UNP is showing no signs of ending the list here.

With that said, I will lighten up on the shameless promotion of a press I honestly respect. The point here will be the books, and as a writer, editor, student, teacher, reader, and fan, I can’t resist them for long.

In closing, hello to Leigh Anna and any of her present readers. After roping Leigh Anna into this months before with the lure of books she hadn’t read yet, I have finally committed myself. We hope to begin a little discussion and spice up this section of the UNP blog. Our real-world discussions of these books and the market in general may or may not have led to a few of her posts.

Until next time, please read a book. Or this blog. Something more than the World of Warcraft forums. (Or in addition, since there’s not much else to be done while waiting for the patches to download.)